Giovanni Battista Lombardi

Giovanni Battista Lombardi and his work are products of the Italian school of Romantic realism, which developed after 1850.

Following his studies in his hometown of Rezzato and in Milan, Lombardi moved to Rome around 1850. While there he studied at the Accademia under Pietro Tenerani, one of Bertel Thorvaldsen's leading followers, and later worked in his studio. Lombardi soon established a productive studio of his own, which he shared with his younger brother, Giovita. Giovanni Battista was the more inventive of the pair, producing fine busts, funerary and commemorative sculptures, as well as large subject pieces, both religious and profane. Distinguished by his fine ability in handling large marble compositions, Lombardi became known for his Old Testament heroines, in which he subtly blends classicism with naturalism, and reserve with allure. 

This present marble is an exemplar of the sculptor's favored subject matter. The biblical figure of Ruth, who was the great-grandmother of David, is depicted here solemnly resting, with sheaves of corn in her hand. This imagery is a reference to the biblical episode in which Ruth gleaned the fields of Boaz, whom she ultimately married.

This sculpture can be read as a pendant to Lombardi's Susanna, and was one of the artist's most popular works, with his studio producing it numerous times in various sizes to keep up with the demand.